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Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates victory over the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych after their Davis Cup...
Novak Djokovic came back from a set down and shook off a knee injury to beat Tomas Berdych and pull Serbia level with the Czech Republic at 2-2 in their Davis Cup semi-final on Sunday.Serbian Janko Tipsarevic was facing Radek Stepanek in the tie's decisive rubber after Djokovic won 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 in front of a capacity 18,000 crowd in the Belgrade Arena.
The world number two made a sluggish start against Wimbledon runner-up Berdych, who took the opening set with neat volleys and a barrage of forehand winners.
Djokovic, who pulled out of the opening singles on Friday suffering from gastroenteritis and fatigue after flying in from New York where he lost the rain-delayed U.S. Open final to Rafael Nadal on Monday, turned the tide in the second set.
He pinned his rival to the baseline with stinging crosscourt shots after giving the home fans a scare when he dived to reach a Berdych smash.
Djokovic was back on his feet after a five-minute treatment session and then blew away Berdych with a combination of forehands down the line and crosscourt backhands to win in three hours 14 minutes.
"I made a bad start but the fans' support helped me get back into the match and it turned my way when I broke him to take a 5-3 lead in the second set," Djokovic told a news conference.
"I am delighted to have kept my unbeaten record in the Belgrade Arena intact but what matters now is Tipsarevic's decisive match against Stepanek.
"We expected this tie to go down the wire. I just couldn't recuperate quickly enough after flying in from New York but we have moved on and I hope we will reach the final."
The Czechs are chasing their second successive final and the Serbians their first after reaching the competition's top tier for the first time as an independent nation in 2008.
The winners will meet France, who comleted their 5-0 rout of Argentina on Sunday.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
(For more news visit Reuters India)
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